Technical Details

Cameras

	Canon EOS D60 The Canon EOS D60 is my prefered camera for digital photography. It reproduces outstanding color, and is a professional sized body which is good for larger hands. I have put a matching battery grip for extra power time and also for the vertical shutter button. The D60 was also the right price when I purchased it a couple of years ago as it was made obsolete by newer models. The sensor features a 6 megapixel resolution which is a minimum size for sharp 11x14 prints. Thus it has replaced 35mm color film for me. The only drawback is that the D60 will not mount the more recent EF-S lenses. I use an EF 17-40mm, EF 50mm and an EF 70-200mm lens with the camera.
	Canon EOS Elan 7 The Canon EOS Elan 7 is my preferred black and white camera for railroad photography. I decided to backtrack to B&W film this year after I was unhappy with digital conversions that were printed with inkjet output. There is no substitution for fiber base prints. To faciliate fine art B&W this camera does a very good job. The Elan 7 has several auto focus points. and uses four AA batteries for power. I also recieved a battery grip for extra power and also for the vertical shutter button. It is much more lightweight compared to its digital counterpart. It is also much more quiet than the D60's shutter. The camera shares the same lenses with the D60.
	Tachihara 4x5 Field The Tachiara 4x5 Field is my preferred camera for landscape photography. I jumped into large format in 1999 and have thuroughly enjoyed its unparalelled sharpness. The Tachihara is a lightweight wood field and features flashy brass like hardware. This camera does attract a lot of attention while outdoors from curious people. I use a Nikkor 90mm, Nikkor 150mm and a Rodenstock 210mm lens with the camera. I pack several film holders, a spot meter, loupe, focusing cloth, and of course lunch into a backpark for a day with the field camera. This is definitely a deliberate camera as it takes time and patience to bring compostion into view. The only drawbacks to the Tachihara are the lack of a front and backwards shift. However since I rarely use those movements it has not been a problem.
	Canon Powershot A520 The Canon Powershot A520 is my quick grab camera for on being on the road or at home. It is very compact and lightweight. Although the grip is still large enough for my hands. The A520 features a 4 megapixel sensor which is relatively good for 8x10 prints. Like most current point and shoot camera, the A520 can take AVI movies with surprisingly clear sound. The A520 also still features a rangefinder which I find helpful. Old habits die hard as I rarely use the display on the rear to compose photos! The lens has a decent range of approximately what would be 35mm to 100mm in a 35mm film equivilent. The built in strobe is also quite good at close range. The drawback is that the A520 uses up an enourmous amount of battery power.

Processing

My processing is a marriage of old and new technology. I first learned photography through processing color transparencies, and then color prints. My understanding of photography blossomed after taking an initial course in black and white photography. Working in a darkroom brings an acute awareness of exposure, and the processes to command that exposure. My darkroom is a full service lab with the ability to print up to 16x20 inch prints. I use a Jobo processor to do all aspects of film development and Type C color prints. My black and white photography is traditionally tray developed. I use an Omega D5-XL to englarge all of my negative formats. The Omega is an undisputed workhorse of all darkrooms in the world thanks to its solid construction. For films I use Ilford HP5, Kodak Portra 160VC, and Ektachrome 100G. I also have a small reserve stock of Maco 4x5 infrared, and some T-Max 100 for those special occasions. However infrared has become prohibtively expensive so I will seek alternatives soon. I am currently using Fujicolor Crystal Archive for type C prints and Oriental Seagull variable contrast for B&W prints.

My digital processing is done with Macintosh powered technology. My Mac Pro workstation features OS X Leopard and Windows XP. RAW image files are delivered through Adobe's CS 3 Bridge and then imported into Photoshop CS3. My dual displays are calibrated with Gretag-Macbeth Eye One Match to ensure accurate color. I use a Microtek flatbed and a Canon film scanner to import analog images sized from 35mm to 4x5 negatives. In the past I used Silverfast as my scanning software, but then I became very unhappy with their support for Macintosh. I have switched to Hamrick's Vue Scan which gets a very decent result. I save all my files in TIFF format for work in Photoshop. I use an Epson 1280 to print transparencies and digital images. The 1280 is a great printer but uses ink like there is no tomorrow. I use Epson heavyweight matte papers for the printed transparencies and digital images.

Finally for presentation, all Type C and fiber base prints are dry mounted onto overmatted archival rag mat boards. The digitally produced prints are window matted on the same mat board. I use a lightweight black Nielsen frame and plexiglass for the prints. Keeping it simple keeps it easy when you are dealing with a variety of print types!